3 research outputs found

    A Miniaturized Patch Antenna Designed and Manufactured Using Slot's Technique for RFID UHF Mobile Applications

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    In this research work, a novel compact antenna with rectangular slots is presented for radio frequency identification (RFID) handled applications in the ultrahigh frequency (UHF) band that can be manufactured and integrated into RFID readers without difficult. A prototype demonstrating the aforementioned features was constructed and measured. The proposed antenna is fed by 50-Ω coaxial cable and printed on a 1.6mm thick FR4 substrate which has a small size and occupies a volume of 68×66 ×1.6mm3. The patch, the feed-line and ground plane are made of PEC (Perfect Electric Conductor) with a thickness of 0.035 mm. Measured results indicate that the proposed antenna has a good impedance matching characteristic ranging from 889 to 939MHz, which covers the USA RFID-band (902–928MHz), the Chinese RFID-operating-band (920–924.5MHz), and the Korea and Japan RFID-band (917–923.5MHz). These results were achieved by the insertion of slots in the compact structure of the antenna. The electromagnetic simulators HFSS (High Frequency structure simulator) and CST (Computer Simulation Technology) microwave studio were used for the design, modeling and simulation of the antenna. The focus of the study of our antenna was on the parameters of return loss, bandwidth, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR), input impedance and gain

    Epidemiology and outcomes of hospital-acquired bloodstream infections in intensive care unit patients: the EUROBACT-2 international cohort study

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    Purpose In the critically ill, hospital-acquired bloodstream infections (HA-BSI) are associated with significant mortality. Granular data are required for optimizing management, and developing guidelines and clinical trials. Methods We carried out a prospective international cohort study of adult patients (≥ 18 years of age) with HA-BSI treated in intensive care units (ICUs) between June 2019 and February 2021. Results 2600 patients from 333 ICUs in 52 countries were included. 78% HA-BSI were ICU-acquired. Median Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score was 8 [IQR 5; 11] at HA-BSI diagnosis. Most frequent sources of infection included pneumonia (26.7%) and intravascular catheters (26.4%). Most frequent pathogens were Gram-negative bacteria (59.0%), predominantly Klebsiella spp. (27.9%), Acinetobacter spp. (20.3%), Escherichia coli (15.8%), and Pseudomonas spp. (14.3%). Carbapenem resistance was present in 37.8%, 84.6%, 7.4%, and 33.2%, respectively. Difficult-to-treat resistance (DTR) was present in 23.5% and pan-drug resistance in 1.5%. Antimicrobial therapy was deemed adequate within 24 h for 51.5%. Antimicrobial resistance was associated with longer delays to adequate antimicrobial therapy. Source control was needed in 52.5% but not achieved in 18.2%. Mortality was 37.1%, and only 16.1% had been discharged alive from hospital by day-28. Conclusions HA-BSI was frequently caused by Gram-negative, carbapenem-resistant and DTR pathogens. Antimicrobial resistance led to delays in adequate antimicrobial therapy. Mortality was high, and at day-28 only a minority of the patients were discharged alive from the hospital. Prevention of antimicrobial resistance and focusing on adequate antimicrobial therapy and source control are important to optimize patient management and outcomes
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